THE ALT Z / INFO
ART.
MEMORY.
MACHINES.
01 / THE WAY BACK
Some of my earliest memories of a car are from the passenger seat of my mom’s red 240Z in Hawaii. That feeling stayed with me. THE ALT Z is a way back to it, and a way to build new memories through a 1975 Datsun 280Z.
ART. MEMORY. MACHINES.
THE ALT Z / BUILT WITH INTENTION
1975 DATSUN 280Z / S30
Learning through making.
Built by hand. Always evolving.
02 / THE ARTIST
I’m Ash Thorp, an artist and designer working across digital art and film. My work for Hollywood includes design work on the Batmobile for The Batman (2022). My independent art practice explores the relationship between people, imagination, and technology.
03 / FROM IMAGE TO OBJECT
THE ALT Z brings that curiosity into the garage. I approach the car as a dimensional work of art—something to experience through sound, touch, movement, and time. Working by hand gives those ideas weight. I have to understand the pieces, live with the decisions, and keep learning.
INTENTION
IS THE WAY
OF SEEING.
04 / LEARNING
I wanted the build to be a lesson. I wanted to learn the car from the inside out: the decisions, the mistakes, the fixes, and the small victories. Each piece asks for attention. Each decision becomes part of the whole.
05 / THE GOALS
I want a driver’s car: lightweight, balanced, honest, and purposeful. A machine that feels analog and visceral. Built by hand, with care for the parts most people will never see. It does not need to be perfect. It needs to keep evolving.
This car is not just a result. It is a reason to gather, learn, and grow. The work holds the time and care of the people involved. The journey never ends; it keeps opening a deeper connection to the machine.